In his October 8 opinion column, Dan Josephson states that value of the unborn fetus differs by one's personal and moral opinion."" This is disingenuous. The fetus either has value or it does not. An African-American either has value or he does not. The same goes for members of the Jewish people, Native Americans, or any other group suffering oppression and violence because others decided they were less than human.
If Mr. Josephson knew that the man next door was physically abusing his girlfriend, to the point where her life was in danger, would he shrug his shoulders and say, ""I won't do it to my girlfriend, but I can't impose my morality on that other guy?"" If the fetus is an innocent human being, then abortion constitutes a staggering offense against human rights and dignity, and should be fought against just as slavery and genocide were opposed in other times and places.
Pro-life supporters have never denied that victims of rape and incest deserve our full compassion. They simply believe that a child conceived in such an act deserves equal compassion. Also, evidence shows that abortion magnifies a rape victim's trauma and pain. Women who have abortions - owhatever the circumstances of conception - oshow higher rates of depression and suicide.
The Bascom Hill ""chalkers"" have presented a peaceful, non-threatening argument for their position:Abortion is an atrocity that takes innocent life, harms women, and only brings suffering and pain to everyone involved, whether rape victim or not.
-Sean T. M. Stiennon
Junior, History
